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FLOWERS BLOOM IN AN UNDISCLOSED LOCATION

Where could these flowers be blooming?  Mt Cuba Center, in Delaware?  Shenks Ferry wildflower preserve in Lancaster County PA? Bowmans Hill Wildflower preserve in New Hope PA?  Morris Park? Valley Forge National Historical Park along the Schuylkill? Just to name a few places, your guess will win you a FREE Aster while supplies last, or possibly a tall coneflower, or other native wildflower, while supplies last. (details in the comment section)

Guess this and take home a free native plant for your yard!

Trillium flexipes
Trillium flexipes

If this isnt Shenks Ferry Wildflower preserve, than what other planet are we on?  You might as well just make this your guess now and get that free aster for your own yard.

Sanguinaria canadensis and Podophyllum peltatum
Sanguinaria canadensis and Podophyllum peltatum

This is so Morris Park, Philadelphia.  Follow the Sanguine Root for 5 minutes and its all about the bloodroot and the mayapples 24-7, 365, a continuous stream of information about these two plants.  So you might as well guess Morris Park so you can bag a FREE aster.

Mertensia virginica and Acer saccharum
Mertensia virginica and Acer saccharum

This is so much Bowmans Hill, or could it be Valley Forge?  What kind of Maple tree would You associate with Bluebells?

Asarum canadense
Asarum canadense

This wild ginger flower is pointing straight up.  Makes for an easy shot. Usually they are ‘shy’ and lay below the leaves along the forest floor.  Did the word Forest just get used?  Could this be in the Wissahickon or in Pennypack Park?

aquilegia canadensis
Aquilegia canadensis

The Columbine, glowing like lanterns, blooming away as if it were May.

 

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SPRING BEAUTY REACHES PEAK BLOOM IN MORRIS PARK

Claytonia virginica

This beautiful native woodland spring ephemeral flower is growing in abundance in Morris Park.  It is in peak bloom, with hillsides covered in white flowers with thin pink stripes.  If you live in the neighborhood or nearby, come on out and visit this natural treasure! If you are out of state, see if you have them in your natural area, on your lawn or in your woodland.

Morris Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Morris Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A great garden specimen, this plant is available at native plant nurseries and plant sales in our area.

Morris Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Morris Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This lunchtime walk in Morris Park was enchanting, with blooming flowers at every turn.

Morris Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Morris Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The violets are also blooming.

Morris Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Morris Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Here is a giant Oak tree, the biggest in Morris Park, surrounded by Mayapples.

Morris Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Morris Park, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

A most pleasant spring day in the forest.

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YEAR:1012 A.D. LOCATION: WHAT WILL SOMEDAY BE CALLED PHILADELPHIA

Our time machine sputtered as we navigated through West Fairmount Park, along the Belmont Plateau. It was set for 1512 AD, on the exact date, April first.  Our Time machine, built in 1959 and purchased second hand, delivered us to 1012 A.D. instead.  Now, the real issue is if we can go back to 2012!   We had this idea of visiting Fairmount Park before the Europeans arrived and chopped down most of the trees. The old rust bucket took us back 500 years further, but we saw the same plants!

Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia

Check this out. Instead of rowhouses, Philadelphia was full of trees and Mayapples. Sassafrass, Tulip Poplar and Oaks growing. ( Our photographs of the 180 foot tall Chestnut trees were lost during our very rough re-entry to 2012, most likely from electrical problems that erased our digital files.)

Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia

This violet from April 1st 1012 was duly recorded.

Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia

This cut-leaved toothwort was found in magnificent patches in the ancient woods just north of the Belmont Plateau of the 21st century.  After our return to 2012, we revisited the location and found the same plants still growing there!

Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia

This 1012 image of the plant speaks volumes about the geometry of this specimen.  We took notes.

Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia

It was so cool to see what we call today Spring Beauty and Mayapple growing 1000 years ago right here in our fair city, Philadelphia. However, after about an hour in the world of 1012, it started to get dark, and we knew we had to be to work the next day.  We had 1000 years to travel, and we better get started.  So back we went.  The time machine sputtered and backfired on the way back and boom! we were back in 2012!  we decided to go check out the same areas we were in 1000 years ago and here is what we found in this site:  After navigating through a maze of invasives, notably Japanese Knotweed, Lesser Celandine, Norway Maple, Tree of Heaven, Japanese Honeysuckle, we found the old forest still hanging on!  It was a vestige of what we saw in 1012, and it was under assault by the invasives, but it was still there!

Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia
Spring in West Fairmount Park, Philadelphia

There was a roaring highway that cut through the forest creating a menacing presence.  The Schuykill expressway.

Oh yeah, that thing, and there it is.

The forest was still growing though, what left of it there was.